Barbara Adams (Noble) German, 86, passed away May 19, 2018, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, after a short illness, with her husband, Cal, and other family members at her side.
Barbara was born in Lexington on Dec. 25, 1931, the third of James Curran and Helen Margaret (Jorgensen) Adams’ four daughters. Barbara grew up in North Platte, graduating from North Platte Senior High School in 1950, where she was active in vocal and instrumental music and was valedictorian of her graduating class. After high school, Barbara followed her two older sisters to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority, Mortar Board, Phi Beta Kappa Society and editor of the 1954 University of Nebraska Cornhusker Yearbook.
In 1952, her father James C. Adams, a county agent and agriculture specialist, was invited by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to spend a year working with farmers throughout Europe as they continued their recovery from the devastation of World War II. Along with her father, mother and younger sister, Barbara, she spent part of the 1952 school year living in Rome, Italy. After returning to Nebraska from Italy, Barbara continued her studies at the University of Nebraska, graduating with an honors degree in journalism in 1954.
While at the University of Nebraska, Barbara met fellow University of Nebraska student Donald Dale Noble of Holdrege, who became her first husband in 1954. After Don graduated pharmacy school and completed a ROTC military commitment, she and Don returned to Holdrege, where Don joined his father as a pharmacist and co-owner of Noble Rexall Drug Store. Barbara worked as a journalist and writer before starting a family. She and Don were the parents of three sons, Todd (1957), David (1959) and Jeffrey (1962). In addition to her roles as a busy mother to her growing family, a partner with Don in guiding the success of Noble Rexall Drug Store and an active volunteer and leader in the Holdrege community, Barbara also found time to serve on the Holdrege Public Schools Board of Education, including a term as the Board’s president. It is also during this time that both Barbara and Don came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Barbara’s life entered a period of challenge in 1969 when Don contracted a bacterial infection that put him in the hospital for several weeks and nearly ended his life. While Don survived this close call with death, his heart was permanently weakened by the infection to the point that he eventually died of congestive heart failure in 1976. With Don’s death, Barbara became a single parent to three boys and the major source of emotional support to Don’s parents who had just lost their only child. Through her Christian faith, Barbara served as a pillar of strength and encouragement to her children, her in-laws and others affected by Don’s death even though she was still grieving over the loss of Don herself.
In 1977, Barbara was reintroduced to an acquaintance from her days in Lexington and North Platte, Calvin K German, who had lost his wife, Jenny, to a brief illness around the same time as Don’s death. Barbara and Cal’s renewed acquaintance soon became a long-distance courtship with Cal running his large farming and ranching operation near Imperial while Barbara was living in Holdrege. Barbara and Cal married in Holdrege during the summer of 1978, beginning an almost 40-year union that only ended with her recent death. Barbara and Cal put together a blended family — her three sons and his three sons and two daughters — while living apart for most of the first three years of their marriage so that Barbara’s youngest son, Jeffrey, could finish high school in Holdrege. This required Cal’s three youngest children to move to Holdrege during the school year to live with Barbara and attend school in Holdrege while Cal stayed in Imperial operating the ranch. Barbara and Cal’s Christian faith and commitment to their children sustained their families through to Jeffrey’s high school graduation in 1981, after which Barbara permanently relocated to Imperial.
Barbara’s passions in life were music, the University of Nebraska, her family and most importantly, her Christian faith. Barbara indulged in each of these passions over the course of her life. She was a talented piano player and vocalist who enthusiastically lent her musical skills to schools, churches, choirs and anyone else needing an accompanist, singer or music director. She was active in the University of Nebraska Alumni Association, serving on the Board of the Alumni Association for many years, including a term as Alumni Association President. She was a beloved wife, mother and grandmother to her family and blessed visitors to her ranch home in Imperial with her warm hospitality, delicious meals and sincere love. But most importantly to her, Barbara loved her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and living for Him became her greatest priority in life after becoming a Christian. Barbara served Him in many ways at Imperial Bible Church, led numerous Bible studies, hosted many missionaries and spoke at Christian Women’s Clubs around Nebraska. Barbara was also instrumental in bringing the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) to Imperial by starting the FCA Huddle in Imperial and later serving for many years on the Nebraska State FCA Board. Barbara’s impact on the FCA in Nebraska continues to this day, as current Nebraska State FCA Director Chris Bubak first got involved with the FCA while growing up in Imperial. Through Barbara’s loving demeanor and servant’s heart, she positively impacted many, many lives over her 86 years of life. Those who knew Barbara grieve her loss but also celebrate the light of Christ that she brought to the world around her and rejoice in knowing that she has gone home to be with her Lord.
Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, James and Helen Adams; her first husband, Donald Noble; her brother-in-law, Richard Kuska; and two of her stepsons, Scot and David German.
She is survived by her second husband, Cal German of Imperial and Colorado Springs; her three sons, Todd (Bernadette) of Colorado Springs, David (Margaret) and Jeffrey (Rachel), both of Centennial, Colorado; her three sisters, Janet (Larry) Lindgren of Camarillo, California, Marcia Kuska of Taos, New Mexico, and Cynthia (Roland) Hoover of Bethesda, Maryland; her stepchildren, Linda (widow of Scot) German of Lynden, Washington, Eric (Brenda) German of Imperial, Andrea German (Kent) Roberson and Sue Lyn (Ramico) Blackmon, both of Colorado Springs; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Nebraska Fellowship of Christian Athletes at nebraskafca.org.
Services will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 23, at the Imperial Bible Church with her son, Pastor Jeffrey Noble of Centennial, officiating.
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